Lambityeco--page 1 (of three pages)

600-750 CE (Coe's dating)

This excavated site is part of a much larger archaeological zone called Yegüih (185 acres) which is largely unexcavated even though hundreds of mounds have been located. According to Andrew Coe, this Zapotec city, laid out across the valley floor of central Tlacolula, was 75 hectares at its peak with temples and residences grouped around plazas. The section called Lambityeco probably had the most luxurious and largest of these complexes (229). He adds that "Yegüih's occupation was sporadic until about A.D. 600 when the population exploded. More than 75 percent of the hundreds of mounds were occupied during this period; the residents must have numbered well into the thousands. The city probably thrived as a regional market center in addition to the salt and pottery industries" (230).

Mescal steam bath

This steam bath may have been used for ritual purposes--to clean the spirit!

Tomb 2 and Temple to the Rain God, Cocijo, an important Zapotec deity--at the southern end of the excavated area

The tomb is on one side of the patio and the temple with the relief sculptures is on the other. According to signage on the site, the tomb held four generations of priests and their wives.

Stucco masks of Cocijo on the dais of the temple platform

The elaborate headdress ends in a fan of plumes. His ears are concealed by large earplugs and one of his tiny hands holds a lightning bolt while the other holds a vase from which water streams.